In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, we, the inventors, typically hybridize a large number of nectarine, peach, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of peach tree, which has been denominated varietally as `Coral Princess`. The present variety was hybridized by us in 1992, grown as a seedling on its own roots in our greenhouse, and transplanted to a cultivated area of our experimental orchard at Bradford Farms near Le Grand, Calif. in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). It was developed as a first generation cross using `Diamond Ray` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,948) yellow flesh nectarine as the selected seed parent and an unnamed white flesh peach as the selected pollen parent. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of peach tree, we asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of Nemaguard Rootstock, the standard of the stone fruit industry in central California, upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The fruit produced by the present variety is most similar to the `White Princess` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,515) white flesh peach by producing peaches that are white in flesh color, subacidic and sweet in flavor, firm in texture, and mostly red in skin color, but is distinguished therefrom and an improvement thereon by producing fruit that is clingstone instead of freestone, that is virtually free of red texture streaking, and that matures about 30 days earlier.
The present variety is similar to its selected seed parent, `Diamond Ray` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,948) yellow flesh nectarine, by abundantly producing clingstone fruit that is globose in shape, nearly full red in skin color, and matures in early July, but is distinguished therefrom and an improvement thereon by producing fruit that is subacidic instead of acidic in flavor, and that is white instead of yellow in flesh color, and that is peach instead of nectarine.